The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-08-21
A DISAPPOINTED BIRD.
How a Predatory Eagle Caught
q Tartar"

conversation turned upon the instinct
of animals, and their remarkable sagac-
ity in arriving at results which could
scarcely be attained without the exer-
else of what seems to be, at least, II
limited degree of reason.
Among other things mentioned the
case of a pair of gray eagles, that for
many years built their nests and rear
cd their young in the forked top of n
very large sycamore tree, that grew in
the forest which lined the bank of the
Mississippi river, not far from where
we lived. though ON the opposite side,
for we lived in Iowa, and the tree stood
in Illinois.
The tree was very giant of its kind,
such as are not ut all uncommon on the
'.bottonl lands of the Mississippi and
its tributaries, and was straight and
smooth for nearly hundred feet from
the ground.
There it threw out three large
branches or forks, and in this con-
venient place, which not even SPUR
rel could reach by climbing, these
OhfkSo ittN Duiib tiCll nCot Vi
sticks and mud and rushes.
Not few men and boys tried to
capture or shoot one of the huge birds.
The tree was so large and smooth-it
was nearly five feet in diameter-that
they could not climb it; the nest was so
solid that no bullet would penetrate it,;
and the only way to get shot seemed
to be for the hunter to sccrctc himself
near by, and shoot the birds in their
frequent journeys to and from the
nest.
This. seems to be an easy solution of
the matter, but though the attempt
was made many times, sometimes by
persons who came before daybrcak,
and. sccreting themselves rs they
thought securely from observation,
waited patiently all day, not an eagle
did they see, and not shot did they
get. But when the coast was clear the
birds would go to the tree from their
feeding grounds, series of marshy
lakes, apparently without taking any
prccaution.
Snow" said /, show did those
eagles know when it was safe to fly
straight to their nest, and when to keep
away from it altogether for Il day at a
timc?"
"Well." said my friend, II can t tell,
Of course, hoe they know, but you
know an eagle has got q sharp eye, and
can see things that you and wouldn' t
notice at all; and besides they fly so
high that they can see every thing for
miles and miles Now l suspect that
when those hunters were watching the
nest, those eagles were soaring up in
the air mile high, and seeing every
thing that was going on.
"Yes,' said l. wishing to draw him
out, for l was rather amused at the
ease with which he, in his back-woods
way, got over the difficulty-"yes, but
how about their going there before
daylight, when one, at least. of the
birds must have been in the nest.
''Well," said he, ''may be they were,
and then again may be there wasn't.
Eagles are mighty early risers, and ]
reckon they had gone after their break
fast long before your town hunters had
got to the tree. Besides if one OF
those eagles had been on the nest when
the hunter came. she'd "a smelt him,
and just have squatted down in the
nest and never moved feather all
day, not even if he shot the nest doz-
en- times. Why" he added, "they've
got a scent sharper than dog. and
you can't fool them mite, that is,
mean you can't hardly euer fool them.
''But knew an eagle once, though,
that got fooled, and fooled badly, too,
in spite of his instinct, or sagacity. OF
whatever you've mind to call it,
How was thatp" asked, for he had
been an old hunter, and knew there
was yarn coming that he was aching
to tell.
"Well," said he, II dom t mind tell.
ing you how it was, for guess you
won't make fun of it; but don't tell il
to everybody. 1t does look like {
purity tough story. But it's true fol
all that, for I saw it myself.
ut was nigh onto forty years ago
when was just a chunk of boy, thai
1t happened. My father owned farm
down near the Ohio river, and he KEEP
quite lot of sheep, for his land wa.
hilly and better for sheep pasture thar
for farming anyway. One spring there
came cold snap in the fore part O
March. and good many of the early
lambs got chilled and died.
I'VE had built some pole sheds GOV
cred with straw for the sheep. on thu
south side of hill about forty rod
from the house, and we threw the dcat
lambs up on top of those sheds to keel
them away from the dogs, and they lay
there good while.
Zone day in April was at worl
ploughing in field on the top of
hill, right cross from the one wher,
the sheep-sheds were built. and, o
course. in plain sight Of them.
stopping to rest my team, happen
ed TO look down on the sheds. and wa
SURPRISED 70 ZEE .wo or three Of th